SQUITCHY LANE

Mike Fitzpatrick's interest in wine began on the quaintly named Squitchy Lane in Oxford, England where he lived while studying at Oxford University in the 1970s. It was here that he first tasted wines from Europe's finest single vineyards.

After a successful football career that included captaining Carlton Football Club to two premierships, Mike began building his financial career, while his interest in fine Australian wines developed.

When Mike met Dr John Middleton and tasted the outstanding Mount Mary wines, he came to understand that the Yarra Valley and its growing collection of winemakers could produce world class Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The Valley offers growing conditions a little warmer than Burgundy and a little cooler than Bordeaux.

In 1996, Mikes dream of owning a vineyard came to fruition when he bought what is now Squitchy Lane. The property locted near Coldstream Hills and Yarra Yering already had a vineyard established on it and the fruit it was producing was already world class.

The next piece of the puzzle for Mike was to find a winemaker who could make truly remarkable wines from his exceptional vineyard. Robert Paul was that person. Robert is widely regarded as one of the Best Winemakers is the Valley and for over eight years he has been skilfully crafting the Squitchy Lane wines.

The latest accolade for Squitchy Lane is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon that in 2018 Won the Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon at the Victoria Wine Show.